Speedship by Worldwide Express

Unifying Two Broker Systems and a Company Culture Through Design

Role:

Product Design Lead – User Research, Product Architecture and Visual Design System

Product Design Lead – User Research, Product Architecture and Visual Design System

Product Design Lead – User Research, Product Architecture and Visual Design System

Team:

8 UX
1 PM
4 FE
3 BE

Timeline:

1.5 years

Impact:

National research initiative · Lead team of 8 · Org-wide design principles · Laid foundation for FTL workflows resulting in $4B merger

National research initiative · Lead team of 8 · Org-wide design principles · Laid foundation for FTL workflows resulting in $4B merger

National research initiative · Lead team of 8 · Org-wide design principles · Laid foundation for FTL workflows resulting in $4B merger

In 2018, Worldwide Express merged with Unishippers, prompting the unification efforts of their small parcel and less-than-truckload(LTL) shipment systems into one scalable platform, ready for additional functionality.

Early planning exposed a core issue:
technical requirements are not the same as user needs.
My Role

  • Led product design strategy, visual design and architecture as the primary design partner for Speedship.

  • Co-led national research, driving interviews, field studies, and synthesis.

  • Created foundational design assets that reshaped org-wide understanding of users.

  • Shifted executive mindset, aligning strategy with real user needs over internal assumptions.

The initial 1500 requirements served as a working doc -
of which we validated and mapped opportunities

The initial 1500 requirements served as a working doc - of which we validated and mapped opportunities

Massive Overhaul!

WWEX had a long feature wish list but no shared vision for the user. With two legacy platforms to merge, the team faced key challenges:

  • Conflicting assumptions about users

  • High-risk development investments

  • No scalable workflow for future FTL expansion

  • Cultural rifts post-merger

Executives largely saw research as optional. My focus quickly became shifting that mindset and reducing risk through user insight.

Early Research

Users didn’t need more features—they needed better guidance. Legacy onboarding left gaps in setup and training, while input workflows frustrated both power users and newcomers.

Support teams were overwhelmed by avoidable tickets tied to poor UX. Leadership had not focused on these issues, but we backed early insights with 16,000 data points and drove change through clear, thematic findings.

Methodology

Comprehensive Research

I worked alongside a researcher - co-leading a months-long, nationwide research effort of in-depth interviews, and contextual inquiries. Businesses large and small, differing verticals, and internal roles all had input.

Comprehensive Research

I worked alongside a researcher - co-leading a months-long, nationwide research effort of in-depth interviews, and contextual inquiries. Businesses large and small, differing verticals, and internal roles all had input.

Comprehensive Research

I worked alongside a researcher - co-leading a months-long, nationwide research effort of in-depth interviews, and contextual inquiries. Businesses large and small, differing verticals, and internal roles all had input.

Actionable Insights

This would have been so much easier to synthesize with A.I.

This would have been so much easier to synthesize with A.I.

The research garnered some 16,000+ data points. The stories that these grouping told were partially expected, but the opportunities it generated ensured that we worked to prioritize the right features, for the right users

Actionable Insights

This would have been so much easier to synthesize with A.I.

The research garnered some 16,000+ data points. The stories that these grouping told were partially expected, but the opportunities it generated ensured that we worked to prioritize the right features, for the right users

Actionable Insights

This would have been so much easier to synthesize with A.I.

The research garnered some 16,000+ data points. The stories that these grouping told were partially expected, but the opportunities it generated ensured that we worked to prioritize the right features, for the right users

Leveraging Alignment

I facilitated workshops with my designers, like service blueprinting, cardsorting, and worked in the trenches as constant deeply collaborative co-working sessions and whiteboarding exercises were employed to ensure all adequate stakeholders had their input captured and were kept updated on the progress.

Workshops and other deeply collaborative coworking sessions with whiteboarding exercises were employed to ensure all stakeholders had their input captured and were kept updated on the progress.

Leveraging Alignment

I facilitated workshops with my designers, like service blueprinting, cardsorting, and worked in the trenches as constant deeply collaborative co-working sessions and whiteboarding exercises were employed to ensure all adequate stakeholders had their input captured and were kept updated on the progress.

Leveraging Alignment

I facilitated workshops with my designers, like service blueprinting, cardsorting, and worked in the trenches as constant deeply collaborative co-working sessions and whiteboarding exercises were employed to ensure all adequate stakeholders had their input captured and were kept updated on the progress.

Building Blocks

In order to build the complexity of the essential workflows, I oversaw the crafting of a theme-able design system for ease of implementation.

Building Blocks

In order to build the complexity of the essential workflows, I oversaw the crafting of a theme-able design system for ease of implementation.

Building Blocks

In order to build the complexity of the essential workflows, I oversaw the crafting of a theme-able design system for ease of implementation.

Enabling Vision

Working closely the CTO, COO, VP of Engineering and Program Manager at WWEX, I partnered to equip the team with comprehensive story-telling backed by data to build strategic momentum and excitement for the long-term vision.

Enabling Vision

Working closely the CTO, COO, VP of Engineering and Program Manager at WWEX, I partnered to equip the team with comprehensive story-telling backed by data to build strategic momentum and excitement for the long-term vision.

Enabling Vision

Working closely the CTO, COO, VP of Engineering and Program Manager at WWEX, I partnered to equip the team with comprehensive story-telling backed by data to build strategic momentum and excitement for the long-term vision.

Cultural Impact & Outcomes

  • Design principles and persona became embedded in the culture, used across meetings, printed on posters, presented in national conferences and adopted far beyond just the product org as a grounded decision-making tool.

  • Executive and stakeholder alignment shifted, with product planning and prioritization now grounded in user needs. (In fact, their trust grew so much I was asked to return to the project after being reassigned to Sprint - to assist them in rigorous prioritization work at the beginning of 2020.)

  • Reduced onboarding friction and improved support operations, as clearer workflows led to fewer misaligned interactions, and internal flows were also given adequate attention and investment.

  • Platform formed the basis of WWEX’s eventual merger with GlobalTranz, enabling the formation of a $4B logistics platform

Validation

We tested all of the workflows: Book a Shipment, Pay a Bill, etc - leveraging a system usability scale and got immediate feedback from real users of the system.

Reflection

This project was about more than building a unified product. It was about building a unified vision.

I was able to help show discovery was a strategic asset—not just a design step which helped WWEX understand its users, recalibrate its roadmap, and set the stage for significant growth.

Design leadership is what happens beyond the pixels or flows,
it’s about helping teams see what they’re missing
and giving them the tools to act on it.

Fetch

Sprint